You hear about actors getting injured on set—sometimes, it's even glorified. Tom Cruise is a prime example of one of those actors. While filming Mission Impossible 6, Cruise broke his ankle during a stunt and kept going. Thankfully, he hasn't sustained any serious injuries while performing one of his many motorcycle stunts.
But it's one thing when a star worth $600 million breaks his ankle during a stunt and another when an extra gets mowed down on set by a motorcycle, leaving her scarred with multiple broken bones and without compensation.
Cristina Stanovici is suing Warner Bros for at least £200,000 ($265,679), plus interest from the date of the incident, and legal expenses after being hit by a motorcycle while filming the DC movie Batgirl, which never made it to screens.
Stanovici was on a 3 am shoot in Glasgow, where she was asked to stand on the pavement as a fire engine drove by. The shot was to be taken by an electric motorcycle carrying a camera rig, which was traveling on the same pavement. Unfortunately, the motorcycle collided with Stanovici, resulting in severe injuries.
After the impact, Stanovici underwent immediate surgery, as she sustained a broken thigh, shin, hip, pelvis, and thumb, along with a cut on her head. Now, more than two years after the accident, Stanovici is left with a huge scar that runs down her right leg and says the pain causes her problems every day.
According to Stanovici, "I know it won’t be the millions of dollars you would get if it had happened in America. But it’s not just about the money, it’s about acknowledgment that it should not have happened and I did nothing wrong."
The culture that surrounds lawsuits in the US is often infuriating, but nothing about this case reeks of someone looking for a quick payday. I find it disturbing to think about Warner Bros getting away without giving Stanovici compensation for the accident, but I want to hear your thoughts in the comments.
